neotoma

Do Not Want -- hatesex, extreme power differentials in relationships, mentor-student relationships, dub-con and non-con unless the characters actually deal with how fucked up the relationship is, deathfic without hope

Likes -- nifty worldbuilding, exploring the edge cases (what if the main character doesn't fit into their society's boxes -- how do they cope?), friendship as a priority, casefic and gen fic, puns, happy endings, bittersweet endings that have hope at the end.

The Devil Rides Out -- Please give me a story about how the Duc de Richleau copes with his friends seizing the Idiot Ball ever time he has to leave them on their own for a little bit; that must be exasperating, especially when opposing demons and dark magicians. Also, if Tanith and Marie could have a conversation that passes the Bechdel Test, that would be lovely.

Empire of Corpses -- Please run wild with the world-building; it's what I loved most about the movie. I would love more exploration of just how people deal with zombifying their friends and family -- economic necessity, sacrifice for the great good, or what?

Transformers Earthspark -- tell me how everyone deals with Jawbreaker's alt mode basically being a dinosaur that thinks it's a big-horn sheep (aka, if it bugs me, ram it). What do you do when you suddenly have a new set of instincts that tell you everything that bugs you should be headbutted?

Do Not Want -- hatesex, extreme power differentials in relationships, mentor-student relationships, dub-con and non-con unless the characters actually deal with how fucked up the relationship is, deathfic without hope

Likes -- nifty worldbuilding, exploring the edge cases (what if the main character doesn't fit into their society's boxes -- how do they cope?), friendship as a priority, casefic and gen fic, puns, happy endings, bittersweet endings that have hope at the end.

Filibus (1915)-- I'd like it if Leonora wasn't fooled by Filibus' cross-dressing, but actually into it. Poor Detective Kutt-Hendy can be baffled about the whole courtship afterwards.

The Devil Rides Out -- Please give me a story about how the Duc de Richleau copes with his friends seizing the Idiot Ball ever time he has to leave them on their own for a little bit; that must be exasperating, especially when opposing demons and dark magicians. Also, if Tanith and Marie could have a conversation that passes the Bechdel Test, that would be lovely.

Empire of Corpses -- Please run wild with the world-building; it's what I loved most about the movie. I would love more exploration of Hadaly Lilith and what it means to be her, especially in the identity she made for herself.

Marvel Noir -- I was disappointed by the latest miniseries -- how about a film noir caper set in a museum or rare book library that takes advantage of Peter's original background as an angry and dedicated socialist raised by activists, and involves multiple parties with multiple motives. I'm thinking something along the lines of Quiet Please: Murder (1942)

Last night, my friends (greenygal, A Person to be Psuedonymed Later, and the Vegan Knitter) went to see The Devil Rides Out as part of the Christopher Lee centennial film series.

It was a lot of fun, being a Hammer film made in 1968 and set in 1929. It took a while for me to realize it was set in the 1920s, because the men's suits were that distinctively of the time, and the Duc (Christopher Lee's character, playing a hero for once) seems the sort of guy who have a collection of fancy antique cars.

But when he mentioned that he and his friend Rex were in the Lafayette Escadrille with Simon's father (Simon being their young friend who has gotten entangled with Satanists!), I went ?!

It's actually quite a fun movie, though every time Christopher Lee's character has to leave his companions alone to go do something, they make the dumbest choices -- partly because if he was there, he wouldn't let the other characters pick up the idiot ball.

The villian Mocata -- who because I'm familiar with British accents drops I had assumed was named McCarthy until the end credits -- was a charismatic cult leader and black magician. You can really see where the story was cribbing from early 20th century esotericism and where it was just making stuff up; Christopher Lee got to have fun as an occult expert and white magician who was going to get every one safe through this even if he had to thump them all into line himself.

The practical effects were good for the time, but look a bit amateurish now. However, the scene where the Angel of Death comes for our heroes actually had a horse ridden into the building and was actually quite spectacular.

There was also a very unconvincing romance, but that happened a lot in movies of the era.

I did wonder how the villain thought he was going to *control* the Angel of Death, considering that angels are an enter order of magnitude different from people, but I guess when you're a black magician leading your own cult and capable of summoning Baphomet, you think you can handle an angel. You can't, by the way. The ending is really clear about that.

Anyway, if have an opportunity to see it, take it. It's fun!

I might even request if for Yuletide.

Just submitted my Yuletide nominations!


屍者の帝国 | Shisha no Teikoku | Empire of Corpses (Anime)
worldbuilding (empire of corpses)
Hadaly Lilith
John Watson (Empire of Corpses)
Frederick Burnaby

Filibus (1915)
Filibus (Filibus 1915)
Leonora (Filibus 1915)
Detective Kutt Hendy

Marvel Noir
Peter Parker (Marvel Noir)
Mary Jane Watson (Marvel Noir)
Jean de Wolf (Marvel Noir)

This year, I got two Coco stories:

Seranata by Anonymous

After a hundred years, somethings remind intact.

do not go gently by Anonymous

“Hector,” Imelda repeats, “Come home.”

“Where is home Imelda?” Hector asks her, his voice quiet. “With you? After so long?”

Dear Yulegoat,

General likes and dislikes:

Dislikes -- hatesex, extreme power differentials in relationships, mentor-student relationships, dub-con and non-con unless the characters actually deal with how fucked up the relationship is, deathfic without hope

Likes -- nifty worldbuilding, exploring the edge cases (what if the main character doesn't fit into their society's boxes -- how do they cope?), friendship as a priority, casefic and gen fic, puns, happy endings, bittersweet endings that have hope at the end.

( Darkwing Duck, Coco, The Sharing Knife )

I have posted my Yuletide and have not been eaten by bears!

Thank you so much for writing a story for me! I appreciate your work!

I'm neotoma on AO3 and I've participated in Yuletide for several years, so I'm glad you're participating too!

General likes and dislikes:

Dislikes -- hatesex, extreme power differentials in relationships, mentor-student relationships, dub-con and non-con unless the characters actually deal with how fucked up the relationship is, deathfic without hope
Likes -- nifty worldbuilding, exploring the edge cases (what if the main character doesn't fit into their society's boxes -- how do they cope?), friendship as a priority, casefic and gen fic, puns, happy endings, bittersweet endings that have hope at the end.

Onto the fandoms -- ( SGU, Darkwing Duck, Doctor Faustus )

Of Castes and Honey (1253 words) by Neotoma
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Moon (Books of the Raksura), Chime (Books of the Raksura)
Summary:

Chime, Moon, and honeybees.

If you haven't read any of the Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells, they're the story of Moon, an orphan who has spent his entire life hiding his ability to shapeshift into a form capable of flight. His discovery of people like himself changes his life.

The novels are notable for the fact that the world is populated by a wide variety of not-quite-human species and that there are no humans in the setting. Also, the detritus of previous civilizations are quite literally everywhere, and some of the artifacts are outright deadly; the worldbuilding is excellent, and the characters both alien enough to be not human, but human enough to be relatible.

Thank you for signing up, and for at least one of my fandoms!

My squicks -- teacher/student, adultery, and generally shitty relationship behavior that isn't called out by the story, if not the characters. Also behavior that obviously wouldn't be acceptable if a woman did it shouldn't be acceptable if a man does it, and vice versa.

My preference -- plotty stories where romance, if it is in the story, serves the plot. I like bobfic.

My requests -- ( Stargate Universe, An American in Paris, Bite Me! )